Where We Belong
by Captive of Thought
Summary: Olivia is wounded and her rescuer just happens to be the one person she'd like to never see again.
1. Chapter 1

It's me again! After my O2 one shot I decided I really wanted to write something more episodic. So here we are! I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort, especially when it comes to our Olivia.

Rating: M for later chapters. (There will be 02 smut, I promise!)

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, blah blah blah.

Dedication: This is for the little German truffle that brings a smile to my face every day. =)

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><p>He was running just ahead of her, coattails just barely out of her reach. Olivia knew if she could speed up, just a few steps, she'd have him and they could close this case. That thought motivated her as she pushed forward, diving for him and catching his ankles. He slammed into the ground and she rolled him over. She was pulling the cuffs out of her back pocket when she heard a shot ring out and felt a searing pain in her stomach. She fell backwards, clutching the wound as her suspect bounded down the alley and disappeared. Olivia grabbed her radio to call for help.<p>

"This is Dunham. Officer down. Request immediate assist." She waited what felt like an eternity for a response. Nothing.

_Okay, don't panic_, she thought. _You've still got your cell_. She grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket and hit speed dial for Broyles. The phone beeped loudly in her ear. She looked at the screen, desperately hoping it wasn't what she expected. It was. _No service_ blinked across the display.

"Shit." Olivia threw her phone down the alley. This was it. She was going to die alone in an alley while her suspect terrorized Boston.

Just as the last bit of her hope was fading and the pain in her abdomen was becoming unbearable, she heard footsteps coming fast in her direction. She drew her gun, wincing as she held it out in front of her, when an all too familiar face appeared out of the darkness.

"There you are! What the hell, Dunham? Our suspect is on the loose and you're napping in an a-" her alternate stopped as she saw the blood seeping through Olivia's fingers.

"He shot you?"

She nodded.

"Okay. Put that damn gun away and keep pressure on that. Put your arm around my neck."

Olivia hesitated.

"Oh, come on. Being close to me isn't as bad as bleeding out in an alley, is it?" "Come on. Arm."

She hated this. Hated that her red headed twin had to carry her to safety. Hated that she was stupid enough to get shot and need rescuing in the first place. But she was already feeling consciousness slip away and she had to get to a hospital. So she slung her right arm around the other agent's neck while she kept her left hand pressed to her wound. Liv pulled her into her arms and hurried down the street towards the rest of the team.

Olivia was on the periphery of awareness. She knew she was being carried but she couldn't recall by whom or why. She suspected it had something to do with how much pain she was in. She could no longer tell where it was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere. She tried to open her eyes, finally succeeding on the third attempt, but what she saw made her snap them back shut. That couldn't be what she'd seen. Her rescuer was…herself? No, she must be hallucinating from the pain.

"Hey, look who decided to grace me with her presence."

Olivia groaned. Now she remembered.

"I'd prefer to stay unconscious. How long was I out?"

"About an hour."

"An _hour_? How is that even possible? We weren't ten blocks from the where the squad was set up. Don't tell me we're lost."

"Heh, we should be so lucky. No. Worse, as it turns out."

"Worse? Our suspect got away, I got shot, I'm stuck with _you_, what could be worse?"

"Well Toto, I don't think we're in your universe anymore."

"Wh…what? That's ridiculous. Of course we're in my universe."

"Uh, no sweetheart, we're not. I don't know what you did but when you started to pass out on me you sort of went…rigid. Then everything turned hot and there was a flash of blue light. And…well, here we are."

"First of all, do _not_ call me that." Liv snorted and rolled her eyes. "Second, what makes you think this is my fault?"

"Well, between the two of us, you're the one with the random universe hopping abilitie,s now aren't you? Look, I'd love to argue with you some more about how you got us into this, but I've got to put you down. You're about to kill my arms. Do you think you can stand?"

Olivia glared at her. "Of course. Let go of me."

Liv lowered her feet to the ground and started to remove her arm from around the other woman's shoulders when she started to collapse.

"Whoa. Okay, take it easy. Hang on to me. I'm gonna walk you to this stoop over here so you can sit down."

Olivia would have complained if she'd been able to, but every tiny step she took felt like it was tearing her apart. When they reached their destination she sank down hard onto the steps, her head falling forward onto one of Liv's shoulders.

"Hey, stay with me, Dunham. You park it and I'm gonna start to set up camp. Here, hold on to this." Liv wrapped Olivia's hands around what was left of an old cast iron rail that lined the steps. "You gonna be okay while I'm gone?"

Olivia gave a very small nod.

"Good girl. I won't be long."

Liv walked up to the old boarded up brownstone behind them and started prying off the planks. At least they had some semblance of a shelter for the night, but that didn't solve their other problems, the worst of which that Olivia was fading fast. She needed that bullet removed, stitches, and a blood transfusion, and those were just the basics. They were in the middle of a ghost town. Where was Liv supposed to find the help she needed to save her?


	2. Chapter 2

My glorious readers, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this posted. My life kind of exploded and sadly reality must come before my fantasy life. Some of this didn't come out the way I wanted but I'm so very attached to this story. The smut fairy will visit soon, I promise!

As usual this isn't betaed so I apologize for any mistakes.

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><p>With a creak the final board broke free and Liv was immediately inside taking stock. Whoever had previously occupied the apartment had left in a hurry, leaving most of their possessions behind. In the small living room there was a slightly worn out sofa, an old wooden rocking chair, a modest coffee table, and best of all, a fireplace. Liv scoped out the kitchen next. The cabinets were mostly bare save for a few pots and pans and an antique hutch that sat in the corner, still full of china dishes. But it wasn't the china that caught Liv's eye, it was the two quilts that had been thrown across the top of the hutch, a seemingly haphazard attempt to protect the heirloom cabinet.<p>

"Well maybe our luck hasn't completely run out," she smiled to herself. But that smile abruptly faded when she ran out to get Olivia. She was slumped against the railing, chest heaving with every slow, shuddering breath she took.

"Olivia?" She kneeled down at Olivia's feet and hooked a finger under her chin. "Hey. Look at me." But the eyes that met hers were not the ones she was used to seeing. They were cold, distant, as if she were lost in a memory.

"You're white as a sheet. Come on, let's get you inside." Liv took Olivia's hands from the railing and hooked them around her neck. The woman no longer seemed to be capable of moving on her own but she held fast to Liv as she gathered her into her arms. "Okay… one, two, up we go."

She carried her inside and carefully laid her down on the sofa. It was only then that she noticed the slight sweat that had broken out on Olivia's forehead. As she brushed the clingy strands of hair away from her face she felt just how feverish she was.

"God, you're burning up."

"No…cold."

Liv raced to the kitchen, grabbed the two quilts, and tucked them gently around her. She had just turned towards the door when she felt Olivia's hand grab hers.

"Don't leave," she pleaded weakly. "Please."

Liv sat down on the edge of the couch and held Olivia's pale hand in both of hers. "Listen to me. I will _never_ leave you. Never. I'm just gonna break up those boards so we can have a fire. You get some rest, okay? I'm right here with you."

Once Olivia had closed her eyes, Liv started on the boards. She tried to throw all her focus into breaking them into pieces small enough to fit into the fireplace, but she couldn't shake the terror from knowing what had to come next. She was going to have to remove that bullet and stitch up the wound herself, no experience, no sterile surgical tools, no anesthesia.

Liv had tried to get everything ready while Olivia was resting. She'd started a fire, collected some rain water from the large puddles in the gravel road outside and started it boiling, and removed the spring that held the batteries in her flashlight to use for forceps and a needle. She had pulled out some of the thread from the quilt binding, hoping it would be strong enough to use for sutures. If they were really, _really _lucky, they might just pull this off.

She pushed the couch as close to the fire as she could without sitting directly in it and gently pulled the blankets away from the blonde's stomach. Olivia stirred just as she started to unbutton her blood soaked blouse.

"I'm sorry but we've got to get this taken care of."

"Liv, don't. There's no point. I'm going to die."

"No you're not! Don't say that. Don't you _dare_ say that!" She paused. Olivia was obviously startled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to….I just…I've never met anyone that…that can do the things that you do." She took a deep breath. "I know I annoy you. In my own little fucked up way that's how I show that I care. But I can't imagine my life without you, Olivia. I…I don't _want_ to imagine my life without you. Please, you have to fight this. Promise me. You can't leave me here alone."

Olivia reached up and wiped a lone tear off Liv's cheek. She sat up as much as she could and leaned her forehead against her alternate's. "I promise," she whispered and pressed her lips softly against Liv's. It should have been awkward. It should have felt wrong. But at that moment, nothing felt more right.

"Alright. You ready?"

Olivia bit down on her lip and focused her eyes on the ceiling. "Just do it."

Liv unbuttoned the rest of her shirt to expose the wound. It looked much worse than she'd hoped but she stayed expressionless. They both needed to stay calm for this to work. Liv tore off the bottom half of her t-shirt, ripped it into several pieces, and dunked one into the pot of water. She started wiping off the blood farthest away from the wound first. As soon as she got close Olivia's stomach tightened under her hand. Still, she was remarkably composed for what was about to happen to her.

"I have to try to get the bullet out now." Liv held up the spring that she'd bent into makeshift forceps. "I'm sorry, Olivia. There isn't any other way to do this."

"I know. It's okay."

"Just focus on breathing and bite down on my jacket if you need to. Don't be afraid to scream."

Olivia nodded.

"Okay. Here we go."

Liv couldn't see the bullet through the swelling of the entry wound which meant she was going to have to feel around for it. She'd tried not to think about how painful that was going to be as she slid the spring in.

Olivia immediately let out a strangled cry from the back of her throat.

"I know, hun. Just breathe and hold as still as you can."

Olivia nodded silently, small tears slipping out of the corners of her eyes.

Liv gently moved the spring around, trying to find the bullet. It felt like it was taking forever. Every time she moved farther in Olivia's cries got louder and louder.

"I'm so sorry, I'm…it's got to be…wait! There it is! I've got it!"

She was somehow able to grasp the 9mm with her crude instrument and started to slowly pull it out.

"Brace yourself, Olivia."

As she removed the bullet Olivia dug her nails into the couch and screamed. When Liv had the offending metal in her hands she looked up to see her alternate unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Yes, I'm still alive. I took a rather large European jaunt this last summer and I've been trying to not get washed away with the tide since I've returned. Now that I've got a bit of a break I thought I'd try to breathe some more life in this story. I hope it lives up to what came before. There's definitely more to come. And there definitely be some smutty goodness in chapter 4!

Love to you all and thank you for sticking with me!

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><p>Liv dabbed at Olivia's face with a wet rag.<p>

"Baby, can you hear me?"

She'd been out a long time and Liv was starting to get worried. Olivia had lost a lot of blood. But all Liv could do was sit and wait, fear twisting her insides like a vice.

After what felt like hours, a small sound, weak, broke the silence.

"Liv?"

"Oh Olivia," Liv leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Thank God. I thought I killed you." She laughed.

Olivia smiled. "You're not getting rid of me that fast." She tried to prop herself up on the couch and immediately fell back. "Ah!"

"Whoa, don't sit up. You'll break your stitches." Liv smoothed Olivia's furrowed brow with her thumb. "I'm afraid we're going to have to stay here for a while. Your body needs time to heal and replenish all the blood you've lost."

Olivia nodded. "I…"

"What, sweetie?"

"Just…thank you. You saved my life."

"Well we're not out of the woods yet."

Olivia cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

Liv sighed and smiled. "You're welcome. You scared the shit out of me, you know."

Olivia looked down. "I know, I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry. I guess I just never realized how much you meant to me until I almost lost you. I meant what I said, Olivia. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Olivia ran a few strands of Liv's auburn hair between her fingers. "Me too. I don't know how to explain it but…I feel so close to you. It's immoral, unethical. It's insane but…it's you, Liv. Somehow…it's always been you."

Liv smiled and brushed the backs of her fingers across Olivia's cheek. Olivia turned into the warmth of her hand and closed her eyes.

"Lay here with me?" she asked softly.

Liv started to protest. "I don't want to hurt you."

"How long has it been since you've slept?"

Liv didn't answer. She hadn't dared close her eyes while Olivia was in such a state and she knew Olivia could tell. Her eyes alone gave her away.

"Come on." Olivia winced as she as scooted more towards the back of the couch. Liv slid in next to her and rearranged the blankets so they were both covered. Olivia rested her head on her double's shoulder and allowed herself to sink into her. She had never felt safer than wrapped in this woman's arms.

Liv wrapped herself around Olivia. She seemed so small now. So fragile. She kissed the top of her head and finally drifted off to sleep.

The sun was just starting to peek through the dust covered windows when Olivia woke up. The first thing she felt was cold. Where was Liv? She missed the warmth of her, her spicy-sweet smell, the – no. God, what was she thinking? What had happened the last two days? _I'm injured._ She thought._ I haven't bee thinking clearly. _

"It's good that she's gone," she whispered. "Let her ruin someone else's life for a change."

"What?

Olivia jumped. She hadn't even heard Liv come in. She must really be losing it.

"Nothing. I thought you'd left."

"Just to go hunting. There's a wooded area a few kilometers east. Thought I'd see if I could scrounge up something for us to eat." She held up two small rabbits rather proudly.

Olivia took in the sight. Liv's stomach was bare from the bits of shirt she'd ripped off for rags. She was covered in dirt, sweat, and had a few small leaves and twigs in her hair. And she was drop dead gorgeous. Olivia gave herself a mental slap. _Stop it! _

"I…didn't know you could hunt."

"Hey, I'm not without skills." Liv smirked and gave her a wink. _What was that supposed to mean?_

"Right…well, thanks."

Liv furrowed her eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I was just thinking we should try to get out of here. You know, back to _my _universe."

"Of course. But you can't travel like that, babe. You need time to heal."

Olivia stood up, quicker than she should have, and sucked a breath in through her teeth. "Don't call me that."

Liv looked up from the fire where she was preparing the rabbits, confused. "Why?"

"Why?! Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I'm YOU! A more damaged form of you, but I'm still you! You can't just…just…" Olivia was gripping the back of the sofa, nails digging into the old upholstery. She was in pain, she was confused, and she was livid.

"I can't what? Love you?"

Olivia looked like she might explode. "Don't." She pointed a finger at her alternate, so furious she didn't even raise her voice. "Do _not _say that."

Liv wasn't fazed. She knew that tone of voice. She _owned _that tone of voice. It would have made anyone else want to crawl in a hole and disappear. But Liv knew what it really meant. Not anger, but fear.

"You're afraid."

Olivia let out a sharp laugh and immediately regretted it. She gritted her teeth. "Afraid of what? Of you?"

"You're afraid to let someone love you."

Liv said it so matter-of-factly, all Olivia could do was glare at her.

Liv sighed. "Would you just lie down? You look like you're about to faint."

She was. She'd stood all of five minutes and was about to hit the floor. Liv was right; there was no way she could travel. For now, it seemed, they were stuck here.


	4. Chapter 4

So it's only been like 5 years...I'm sorry! MANY thanks to those of you who have stuck with me for so long. This is just a little taste of what's to come. ;) Unbetaed so all mistakes are mine alone. Review if you feel moved to! I adore reading them!

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><p>It had to be somewhere near three in the morning. They had eaten in silence, Olivia occasionally casting her dirtiest looks in her alternate's direction. Liv, for the most part, ignored it. Still, it was starting to get to her. No one could hold onto the past quite like Olivia. But she was going to have to knock it off or get left behind.<p>

Now, with nothing but the crackle of the fire, the silence was pressing in. Olivia was pretending to sleep on the sofa, Liv on a quilt on the floor – staring at the ceiling and thinking herself into a frenzy.

"You know, I'd think you'd be a little more grateful."

Olivia snapped her eyes open, felt fire run through her veins. "Grateful?! To you? You stole my life."

"You just can't let anything go, can you? I did what I had to do to save my world. You would have done the exact same thing and you know it."

Olivia opened her mouth to retort, but thought better of it. She _would _have done the same thing. Maybe not in the same way, but you do what you have to when the stakes are that high.

She paused. "I suppose I would," she said, almost under her breath. "Look, I'm – I'm sorry, okay? I'm not good at the vulnerable thing. I don't like situations that are beyond my control. Like…this."

Liv sat up. "To be honest, I was surprised you let go as much as you did. Part of me thought you'd die before letting me help you."

Olivia let a small smile grace her lips. "The thought _had_ crossed my mind."

Liv laughed and scooted closer to the couch. She reached up to stroke Olivia's hair but stopped, fingers not an inch from the blonde's locks, and pulled her hand away.

"I…did you mean what you said? That it's always been me?"

Olivia looked down, seemingly ashamed of showing this soft side of her character, and nodded slightly.

"I just…I don't know what this is. This…us. How I feel about you. It's…weird. And I don't use that word lightly."

They both smiled. Few people in either of their universes truly understood the depth of that word better than the two of them.

"This," Liv started as she allowed her hand to move back to Olivia's hair, "it hurts no one. There's nothing wrong with giving in to those feelings, to that lighter side of you. It's one of the many things that makes you beautiful."

Olivia finally let herself look into the piercing green of her alternate's eyes. They were so beautiful with little flecks of gold, almost sparkling. But it was the genuineness she saw there that was truly stunning. Maybe this didn't have to be as complicated as she was trying to make herself believe.

Olivia reached out and let her thumb run across Liv's bottom lip, her tongue involuntarily sliding across her own. She wanted to know what those lips tasted like, how it felt to have them hot on her skin.

Liv snaked her tongue out and sucked the thumb into her mouth, never taking her eyes off Olivia's. When she gently bit down, Olivia felt heat rush to her core. She threaded her fingers through Liv's hair and pulled her forward, crushing their lips together. Liv climbed up on the couch, her lips never leaving the delicious new place they had found, and laid on top of Olivia, arms braced on either side of her chest so as not to touch her wound.

Olivia parted her lips, dying to feel more of Liv, who was more than happy to comply. As she slid her tongue into Olivia's mouth she rolled her hips forward, causing Olivia to gasp.

Liv immediately pulled back. "Shit! I'm so sorry! I was trying not to hurt you."

Olivia smiled. "Liv, it wasn't that kind of gasp."

"Oh! Then…shall I continue?" she asked, the most sultry of smiles on her lips.

"You better."

Liv brought her lips back down to Olivia's, grazing her tongue with her own. Olivia slid one hand behind her neck, using the other to rake her nails across her lower back. Liv pulled herself away from Olivia's mouth, kissing down to her pulse point and biting. Olivia arched up into her, trying to pull her impossibly closer.

Liv reached down to undo the buttons on Olivia's blood stained shirt, fumbling with just one available hand.

"Um, I think you could use some help," Olivia laughed.

Liv smiled as she lifted her head up and leaned into Olivia's forehead.

"Give me a break. I'm trying to get you naked while also trying not to crush you."

"I'm not complaining. I just thought I'd speed up the process."

Liv chuckled. "Then by all means, darling."

Olivia looked right into Liv's eyes as she slowly unbuttoned her shirt. After the third button Liv moved down to kiss the flesh that was so tempting her, dipping her tongue into that precious little naval. She traced gentle fingers around the still garish looking wound and twinge of sadness gripped her heart. Olivia felt it.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just...sorry."

"For what?"

"_This_," Liv said, indicating the wound. "I should've been there. If I'd just been there..."

"Now stop it. You didn't shoot me. I know there have been times you've wanted to..."

Liv couldn't help but smile. There definitely were. She went from hating this woman to loving even just the thought of her. "How could I have been so blind?"

"It wasn't just you. I guess that old saying is true. Sometimes we really don't know what we have until we lose it. Or, almost lose it, in this case."

"Believe me. I won't be making that mistake again." A smirk betrayed the renewed lust in her eyes. "You know, I feel like I was in the middle of something..."

"Hmm. Were you? I'm having trouble remembering..." Olivia teased.

"Oh, you are, are you? Let me see what I can do about that."

Liv leaned up and placed a far too gentle kiss on Olivia's lips before she blazed a trail of open mouthed kisses to her ear.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted this," she breathed huskily.

As she sucked an ear lobe into her mouth, Liv snaked a hand down to Olivia's breast and kneaded it expertly. Olivia bit her lip and shut her eyes, stars exploding behind them.

"Oh _God_," she hissed.

"Save your breath honey. You're gonna be screaming his name by the time I'm done with you."


End file.
